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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · jam · spring · can · wound · nail · board · race

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wound — an injury
  4. chest — a box
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spring — of water
  8. chest — of your body
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — of your body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. race — the arms race
  15. wound — an injury
  16. board — a committee
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. can — a tin
  19. board — to get on
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. can — a tin
  22. race — a contest
  23. spring — a coil
  24. race — humankind

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com